Perennials That Bloom in May – Top 7 for Your Garden

Once you've prepared your garden in April and sown your first vegetables, May is when things really come to life. As temperatures rise, many perennials reach their full glory, transforming your borders and beds into a vibrant, colourful spectacle.

In this FUXTEC garden guide, we showcase the most beautiful perennials that bloom in May and will make your garden truly shine.

1. Paeonia – Peonies

Peonies are widely regarded as the most spectacular flowering perennials of May. The garden peony is particularly popular, impressing with its lush, often fragrant blooms in shades of white, pink, and soft pastels. Not only are peonies exceptionally long-lived, they are also reliably hardy, making them an ideal choice for planting in the garden.

Their main flowering period is in May, with later varieties opening their blooms well into June. For reliable flowering year after year, peonies prefer a rich, slightly loamy soil with good drainage that stays consistently moist.

Important: peonies dislike being moved. Choose their planting spot carefully — they truly resent disturbance once established.

2. Epimedium – Barrenwort

Barrenwort may sound delicate, but it wins over gardeners above all with its versatility. There are both evergreen and deciduous species, as well as spreading and clump-forming varieties. They thrive in dappled shade and partial shade, making them an excellent choice for planting beneath trees and shrubs, as they cope well with root competition and low light. Their dainty, small flowers appear mostly from late April into May, floating gracefully above the foliage.

3. Geranium – Hardy Cranesbill

Hardy cranesbills are among the most versatile perennials you can grow. With an enormous range of leaf shapes, flower forms, and colours, there is a variety to suit virtually every spot — from sunny to partially shaded positions. They are also wonderfully low-maintenance: tolerant of both drought and poor soil, and reliably resprouting after being cut back.

Many species begin flowering from May, and their open blooms are a magnet for pollinators — particularly bees. Many hardy geraniums also self-seed freely, naturally filling gaps in the border over time. A firm favourite is the rock cranesbill (Geranium macrorrhizum 'Spessart'), which charms with its white flowers and soft pink centres. Reaching around 40 cm in height, cranesbills make an excellent dense ground cover, quickly greening over bare patches — and, when you haven't got your FUXTEC weed puller to hand, effectively suppressing weeds too.

4. Dicentra spectabilis – Bleeding Heart

Bleeding Heart is a true showstopper in the garden, thanks to its extraordinary heart-shaped blooms. From May onwards, elegant arching stems emerge, each one strung with the plant's characteristic pendant flowers shaped just like tiny hearts.

These perennials are happiest in a partially shaded spot — perhaps in front of a hedge or beneath trees — where their blooms really stand out. Plants can reach up to 80 cm in height and prefer consistently moist soil. There is no second flush: by late summer the plant dies back completely, doing so all the sooner if the soil dries out. Come spring, however, it reliably re-emerges year after year.

5. Papaver orientale – Oriental Poppy

The oriental poppy brings dazzling colour to the border from May through to June. Originally from eastern Turkey, it is now a much-loved fixture in British gardens. Unlike the annual field poppy, this species is perennial and delights year after year with its large, luxuriant flowers.

Thanks to extensive breeding, oriental poppies are now available in a wide range of colours and forms. Plants typically reach 70–80 cm in height, with some varieties growing to a full metre. Poppies thrive in poor, free-draining soil and are therefore ideal for sunny spots.

6. Pulmonaria officinalis – Lungwort

Lungwort is a native perennial that was once found growing wild and is now equally at home in the garden, though it has sadly become somewhat overlooked in recent years. Yet it has much to offer: a long flowering period from March through to the end of May, and considerable value for wildlife as a pollinator-friendly plant that provides a vital food source for numerous insects, including specialist species.

One of its most distinctive features is the way its flowers open pink and gradually turn blue — a fascinating effect caused by a change in the pH of the cell sap. The spotted leaves and fine hairs also make this plant instantly recognisable. It thrives in shady to partially shaded positions, such as at the edge of a shrub border, where it also works well as ground cover.

7. Ajuga reptans – Bugle

Bugle is one of those wonderfully easy-going, hardy shade perennials that really comes into its own in shadier parts of the garden. Its dense, carpet-like growth habit makes it an excellent ground cover plant, providing structure in the border throughout the year.

From late April through to June, bugle becomes a real eye-catcher: slender spikes of blue-violet to blue flowers rise up above the foliage, adding vivid colour to the garden. As an added bonus, this fuss-free plant is also very popular with pollinators — bees in particular are drawn to its flowers.

Perennials for May with a Long Flowering Season

If you choose perennials with a long or particularly early flowering season, you can enjoy colourful borders for many weeks on end. Lungwort is an early bloomer, producing flowers from March right through into May. Many hardy geraniums also score highly for their enduring display, providing colour over an extended period. Combined with classic May bloomers such as peonies, you can achieve a continuous succession of flowers from spring through into early summer.

With some perennials, you can extend the season further still: cutting back spent flowers prompts many plants to put out fresh growth and produce a second flush of blooms.

Which of the Best Flowering Perennials Are Easiest to Grow in May?

If you want to keep garden maintenance to a minimum, Geranium (cranesbill) and Epimedium (barrenwort) are both excellent choices. Both are tolerant of low water and poor soil, robust, and reliably unfussy. Cranesbill has the added advantage of bouncing back quickly after being cut down, soon forming a dense, weed-suppressing carpet. Epimedium is perfect for tricky spots beneath trees and shrubs where many other plants struggle. Peonies, too, are long-lived and trouble-free once properly planted in a position they can stay in permanently.

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What are the best low-maintenance perennials to plant for May blooms?

Hardy cranesbill (Geranium) and barrenwort (Epimedium) are excellent choices for low-maintenance gardens, as both tolerate poor soil, drought, and require minimal care. Peonies are also trouble-free once established in the right spot, though they dislike being moved.

Can peonies be moved after planting?

No, peonies dislike being moved and can resent disturbance once established. Choose their planting location carefully, as they prefer rich, well-draining soil that stays consistently moist and will reward you with reliable flowering for many years.

Which May-flowering perennials grow well in shade?

Barrenwort (Epimedium), bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis), lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis), and bugle (Ajuga reptans) all thrive in shaded or partially shaded positions, making them ideal for planting beneath trees and shrubs.

How tall do Oriental poppies grow?

Oriental poppies typically reach 70–80 cm in height, with some varieties growing up to a full metre, and they thrive in sunny spots with poor, free-draining soil.

What makes lungwort (Pulmonaria) special in the garden?

Lungwort is a native British perennial with a long flowering period from March to May and distinctive pink flowers that gradually turn blue as they age. Its spotted leaves and wildlife value make it an excellent pollinator-friendly choice for shaded areas.

Do hardy geraniums come back every year?

Yes, hardy geraniums are reliably perennial and resprouting after being cut back, and many varieties self-seed freely to naturally fill gaps in the border. They are also low-maintenance, tolerant of both drought and poor soil.

Can you extend the flowering season of May perennials?

Yes, deadheading spent flowers encourages many perennials to produce a second flush of blooms, extending the flowering season well into summer. Combining early bloomers like lungwort with classic May flowers like peonies creates continuous colour from spring through early summer.